Chamwood

Updated 25 December 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type:

Chamwood is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did:

Before this inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, which included correspondence we had received and any notifications submitted to us by the service. Statutory notifications are information the registered provider is legally required to send us about significant events that happen within the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We contacted social care commissioners who help arrange and monitor the care of people living at Chamwood. We also contacted Healthwatch Sheffield. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

We spoke with four people living at the service. We spoke with three support workers. The registered manager was not working on the day of our inspection. The registered manager provided us with records following the inspection.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We spent time observing the daily life in the service and we looked around the building to check the home was safe and clean.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training and supervision data and records relating to the safety of the service.

Updated 25 December 2019

About the service:

Chamwood is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to eight people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. The service also supports people who need support with alcohol or drugs misuse. At the time of the inspection there were seven people living at the service.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found:

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People had individual risk assessments in place, so staff could identify and manage any risks appropriately.

Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard people. Systems were in place to make sure managers and staff learned from events such as incidents, concerns and investigations. The provider completed pre-employment checks for new staff, to check they were suitable to work at the service.

Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and spoke to people with understanding, warmth and respect. There were enough staff to ensure people’s care and support needs were met. Staff had undertaken training which was regularly updated to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to support people effectively.

Medicines were managed safely at the service. The service was clean and had a welcoming homely atmosphere.

People's needs were assessed, and care was planned in a way which met people's individual needs. People were supported with their health and dietary needs, where this was part of their plan of care. People were offered choices of what they preferred to eat.

People made positive comments about the staff and were satisfied with the quality of the care and support provided. People were encouraged to raise any concerns or worries they had.

People were encouraged and supported to engage in activities within the community. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff made very positive comments about the staff team and registered manager. People told us the service was managed well. We received positive comments about the registered manager. People told us they were approachable, friendly and proactive at dealing with any issues that arose.

There were planned and regular checks completed at the service to check the quality and safety of the service provided.

Rating at last inspection:

At our last inspection Chamwood was rated good (report published 9 June 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.